Second Chances
by Demonic Irken
Summary: What if Benny had survived the Bite? What if he was rescued in time? What if it had been his brother who saved him? This is an unofficial sequel to 'Nightmares And Monsters,' so read that story first before reading this one.
1. Chapter 1

Benny was scared. Terrified. He was caught in the mouth of the animatronic they had shoved him into, and he screamed and kicked his little feet in a fit of terror, crying harder than he ever had before. The machine groaned and the pressure on his head increased slowly, the machine trying to close its mouth.

Through his screams, he heard faintly the sounds of people fighting, and he hoped that someone would free him. "Get me out!" He sobbed. "Please get me out! I don't wanna play this game anymore!"

His pleas seemingly went unheard, or perhaps they did hear his cries for mercy, but ignored them altogether. He tried to push himself out of the robot's jaws, but it did nothing except make the crushing pressure on his head even worse.

The groaning noise of the animatronic grew louder, and he whimpered softly. It was very hot inside its mouth, and Benny did not like it. He was beginning to sweat, both from fear and the heat. He had never been so scared in his entire life, not even when his brother was angry at him. Even on Aaron's worst days, it wasn't even close to this.

Then there was the sounds of something hard collapsing to the ground, and everything was silent. A moment later, he was pulled free of the machine, and the face of his brother stared back at him. "Are you okay, bud?" He asked, his tone sounding very concerned and worried.

Benny burst into tears again and clung to his brother, trembling uncontrollably now.. burying his face into Aaron's shirt, he sobbed his little heart out, Aaron holding him securely and tightly to offer reassurance.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Aaron kept repeating while rubbing his back. "I didn't want this to happen to you."

Benny lifted his head to peek behind his older sibling, seeing the crumpled form of Jax, and the rest of the group fleeing through the double doors of the building to the parking lot outside. "They t-tried to h-hurt me." He sobbed.

"Yes, they did, but I didn't let them." Aaron said sympathetically. "I won't hang out with them anymore. They're nothing but trash, and hopefully they get what's coming to them."

He heard a scoff behind him, and he turned around to see that Eric had not left yet.

"Why did you ruin our fun, dude?!" Eric yelled at him. "We thought you wanted to scare him!"

"He almost died!" Aaron shot back angrily. "It would have crushed him if I hadn't done anything! Look, his ears are bleeding, and there's even blood in his hair!"

Benny put a hand to his ear, and his fingers did in fact come away rather bloody. He gasped and started sobbing again.

"I don't wanna be friends with you guys anymore." Aaron was saying now. "You took it way too far! I should call the police and tell them what you did."

Eric sneered. "You were never one of us. We never even considered you our friend! You're just a loser and a freak like your brother there!" He said, pointing a finger at Benny. His eyes burned with rage. "You'll always be nothing but a waste of space!"

"Fuck you!" Aaron spat. "If almost killing people is your idea of 'fun,' than maybe someone should shove YOU into that robot's mouth and see how you like it!"

Eric walked away, flipping him off as he followed his friends and left the building.

"Can we go h-home?" Benny whimpered, looking up at Aaron as he wiped his running nose on his shirt sleeve. "I don't want to be here anymore."

Aaron sighed and nodded. "Yeah, definitely. We just gotta get our things and then we can go."

Benny stretched out his arms, and Aaron lifted him into his arms, carrying him to the coat racks so they could grab their jackets and leave. The younger child slipped on his jacket with some difficulty, his head hurting something fierce now, a pounding in his head that almost made him scared all over again.

Well, he was still scared, but his fear had lessened now that he was safely out of danger. He looked down and saw that Aaron had put Freddy and Plushtrap into the pockets of his jacket, and he reached for them, wanting to feel their comforting presence.

Aaron pulled them out. "Want them back?" He asked holding them out for Benny to take.

The younger sibling took them gratefully and held them tightly to his chest, crying softly into the fabric that made up their soft exterior.

Aaron was still wary of those plushies now that he knew they were alive, but at that moment he told himself that as long as they kept his brother safe, he could tolerate their presence.

He carried Benny to his truck and placed him in the backseat, then got into the driver's seat and started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot as they headed for home.

The drive home was silent save for the sound of Benny crying softly, sniffling every so often. He heard a soft churr, and he briefly glanced into the backseat to catch a glimpse of the plush rabbit licking the blood from Benny's face ever so gently, while the golden bear was nuzzled into the child's shoulder, running a paw up and down his arm to soothe him. Benny was whispering to them between his whimpers of pain, blood still slowly dripping down his face.

He sighed and focused on the road again, their house not too far from the restaurant. He could not think of anything to say that would comfort his brother, so he got a napkin from the glovebox and handed it back to Benny, letting Freddy and Plushtrap do the consoling for him. They seemed to be doing a good job of it, anyway, because Benny had stopped crying now, and was silent. He looked into the rear view mirror to see that his brother was now asleep, his head rested on the window, the blood finally gone, and his face mostly clean.

The glow of the streetlights swept over the truck every few seconds, briefly illuminating Benny's sleeping form. He looked peaceful and calm this way, and Aaron knew that he needed the rest, especially after what had happened that night.

Freddy caught him staring and slowly climbed over Benny's lap and into the passenger seat, holding onto the armrest to help keep himself upright in the moving vehicle.

_"He tells us that you saved him from something terrible." _Freddy said after a moment, regarding the human with a questioning gaze, his eyes as white as the Moon. _"What happened?"_

Aaron sighed, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He wanted to snap at the bear, but then thought better of it when he remembered his scars that he received from him. He relaxed his grip on the wheel. "Some former friends of mine wanted to pull a prank on him and scare him a little, just for fun. But it went too far, and I had to intervene and stop it before they hurt him. I never wanted this to happen to him."

_"He allowed us to search through his mind, you know."_ Freddy said, his eyes still trained on Aaron. _"I felt his emotions when he was trapped in that machine, and I experienced his fear through his memories of the event. It was very traumatic for him, and especially for his mental health. I do not think it will be easy for him to recover. It will take time."_

Aaron nodded. "I know. It scared me, too."

_"He does not wish to return to that place again,"_ Freddy continued. _"We are overjoyed that he will be okay, and we have you to thank for his safety. However, he seems to be quite certain in his belief that your friends will take him back there to be killed. Do you know anything about this?"_

He shook his head, wondering why Benny would think such a thing. "Sometimes when he gets scared like this, his mind dreams up these crazy thoughts. I don't usually worry about it when it happens, and he's usually fine the next day."

Freddy took a few steps closer, reaching over to put a paw on the armrest console. _"Maybe its time to start worrying about it, then. I can tell you right now that I believe things will get worse for him before they get better."_

Aaron glanced over at the plush bear, worry and slight surprise and confusion in his expression. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.

_"When someone or something experiences an event such as this, some form of trauma is to be expected. The more dangerous the situation is, the greater the trauma."_ Freddy explained calmly. _"In his eyes, this particular incident nearly meant his end."_

"He did almost die!" Aaron said, raising his voice slightly. He would have yelled, if not for the sleeping form in the backseat. "That robot would have crushed his skull if I hadn't done something! I almost didn't get to him in time, and when I did pull him out, his head and ears were dripping blood!"

_"As I stated before, we are eternally grateful that you got him out in time, and we are in your debt."_ Freddy responded, still with that same calm expression and voice. It was almost soothing, Aaron thought. _"However, I must respectfully ask you to please consider speaking in a softer tone of voice for now. I do not wish to wake him from his sleep. He requires rest to recover, among other things."_

Aaron nodded and lowered his voice. "What do you want me to do for him?" He asked, truly at a loss and not knowing what to do after they got home.

Freddy thought for a minute, staring out the window at the passing fields of corn and farmland. Just when Aaron was about to break the silence, he spoke._ "He requires love, more love than you might be able to provide, since you have shown in recent times that you are sorely lacking that quality."_

"Hey, wait! I can be-" Aaron began, but was interrupted by Freddy.

_"He would also require a certain amount of bedrest, I would suggest maybe two days or more depending on the effects of this experience on his psyche and overall health, and while he is resting I also suggest having some kind of medical personnel examine him for any other injuries he may have sustained while in the midst of the incident."_

"So that's what we're calling it now?" Aaron said, exasperated and still slightly worried for his brother. "An 'incident'?"

Freddy shrugged, though it went unnoticed by Aaron. _"I can think of no other way to describe it. It is an accurate description of the events that transpired. What would you call it?"_

"Attempted murder, for one!" Aaron yelled, throwing up his arms in a moment of anger and exhaustion. "Actually, yeah, that's what I would call it! It was attempted murder, they tried to kill him!"

Freddy waited until Aaron had stopped ranting to speak. _"According to your description of the events that you relayed to me a few minutes earlier, you seemed to think that it was all entirely accidental, did you not?"_

The older human sighed and rested his head against the steering wheel briefly. It was a good thing that the road was nearly deserted. "Yes, I did think that, but now I'm seeing things a little bit differently than before!" He hissed at the bear.

Just then, he heard a soft whimpering from the backseat, and he turned around to see that Benny had woken up, his eyes fogged over with sleep. "I feel sticky." He whispered, clearly not fully awake. "Why do I feel sticky? It's wet."

Aaron pulled over onto the side of the road and stopped the truck. "You feel _what_?" He asked, turning back to look at his younger brother.

"Sticky," Benny whimpered again, his voice quieter now as he started to fall back into sleep. "I'm sticky and wet."

Aaron was confused. Why would he-

Then he saw it. The seat Benny was sitting in, as well as the headrest, was stained with blood. He quickly climbed back and lifted Benny up and moved him aside. He gasped sharply at what he saw. It was worse than he first realized.

Benny's jacket was coated in blood. Aaron ripped it off of him in a hurry to find his shirt underneath also ruined and red. It was stuck to his skin, so he had to tug a little to get it free, slowly lifting it and immediately froze.

The child's upper back had also been injured, but had bled at a much slower rate than his other injuries. Deep gouges in the skin steadily leaked bodily fluids, and the smell of it was nauseating. A thick metallic smell that lingered in the air. The blood was dripping down his back and onto his pants as well as the floor.

Aaron breathed in sharply, his fear and worry resurfacing again.

_"We need to get him medical attention." _Freddy said as soon as he had seen the damage. _"Immediately. These wounds are severe, and if they are not treated he will bleed to death."_

"How the fuck would you know?!" Aaron snapped at Freddy angrily, finally reaching his limit. "You're just a plush toy, you don't know anything!"

_"Now is not the time for this, Aaron!"_ Freddy snapped back with a growl in his voice as he thrust a clawed finger at Benny's wound. _"That bite mark is deep, and it might have hit something vital to his survival! He has already lost a significant amount of fluids, so I recommend that you contact a treatment facility of some sort and explain to them our situation!"_

Aaron was startled back to his senses. He took one more look at the wound on Benny's back, and took a deep breath. He sighed and picked up his phone, dialing the nearby hospital and telling them the problem. The call was quick and to the point, and a few minutes later he hung up, sighing.

_"What is it?"_ Freddy asked worryingly.

Aaron turned the key in the ignition to start the truck's engine and pulled back onto the main road. "They said that they would be waiting to take him in to be examined. The nearest hospital is a few minutes from here, so we're not very far from them. They said that they may have to take him in for surgery if it's bad enough."

The elder human handed the ruined jacket to Freddy. "Here, they said to apply pressure to the wound and try to stop the bleeding as much as possible. We'll be there in about five minutes, and then they'll take care of the rest."

The gold bear immediately slapped the clothing onto the still bleeding wound, wrapping the jacket around Benny's chest and pressing down as hard as he was able to without harming his friend any further.

"Freddy?" Benny asked tiredly, the commotion waking him. His speech was slurred, and barely louder than a whisper. "Are we almost home?"

He ran a paw through Benny's hair soothingly while Plushtrap cuddled up to the child, the rabbit giving a weak warble of distress.

_"Not yet, Benny. We will be there soon. Can you keep your eyes open for me?"_

"I'm so tired, Freddy. Can I sleep?"

_"Please don't close your eyes. Stay awake. We will be there in a moment."_ Freddy said, stroking Benny's face in a loving gesture._ "You will be alright."_

Benny did not seem to hear him, and his eyes were glassy and glazed over with sleep. He let his head hit the window, his eyes barely open. His breathing was labored and weak. "I'm so tired," he said again, his voice quiet. He closed his eyes.

Plushtrap licked the young human's face, trilling fearfully. That seemed to wake him up a little, his eyes opening slightly. They closed again after a few seconds, and Plushtrap began licking harder, in vain. The rabbit seemed to be on the verge of freaking out now.

Seeing that his brother was now still and quiet, Aaron drove faster, not caring if he was speeding now. A ticket was the least of his worries. The hospital appeared on the horizon, just across the road, a minute away. He reached back and put two fingers to Benny's throat, feeling his pulse, sighing in relief when he felt one, though it was slow and weak, never a good sign. He was still breathing, for now, but his chest was barely moving. Aaron gently slapped his face, but the young child did not open his eyes or make any sounds, remaining dead silent.

They reached the hospital and Aaron jumped out, hurriedly collecting his brother into his arms, carrying him to the hospital doors and going in, Benny's face pale and arms dangling at his side as he lay motionless in Aaron's hold.

A small team of doctors were waiting for him in the lobby, immediately taking him from the elder human and placing him on a stretcher as they carried him into the back room of the building to be taken care of. Aaron saw one of the nurses putting a breathing mask over Benny's mouth before they turned the corner and went down another hallway, calling a code blue.

Aaron was approached by a nurse and handed paperwork to fill out, and did so as requested. He felt like crying, but no tears showed themselves. He felt numb, and he came to the realization that he must be in shock. He finished the paperwork after a while and sat back in the chair, praying with all of his heart and soul that his little brother would be alright and would recover from this.

He wondered if Benny would die.

**A/N: This is an unofficial sequel to "Nightmares And Monsters," showing what would have happened if Benny had survived the bite. People were pleading and demanding that I bring Benny back to life in some way, so this is that way. The original idea I had was to bring him back as a ghost, but then a friend on here who goes by the name of 'StarfallGalaxy' suggested this idea, so credit for this story goes to her, as well. This is an AU story, but the characters will remain the same as they were in the original timeline.**


	2. Chapter 2

While he was waiting for news about his brother's condition, Aaron went to his truck and collected Freddy and Plushtrap. They looked understandably worried, and Aaron didn't blame them.

_"Will he be alright?"_ Freddy asked, _"Plushtrap is beginning to assume the worst, so we would appreciate some form of reassurance that he is well."_

"They didn't say yet." Aaron responded as he carried them into the hospital, where they became seemingly lifeless and unmoving as the light cast over their forms. The human sat down to continue waiting, and placed the plushes into his lap to wait with him.

Aaron stared down at them, thinking about things. The fact that Freddy and Plushtrap had been treating him differently ever since he had saved his brother from the animatronic at Fredbear's Diner had not gone unnoticed by him, and he did appreciate that they were finally giving him a chance now, despite what he had done to their friend in the past.

He knew that they were ecstatic that Benny was mostly physically okay for the moment (other than the wounds that he had sustained), and he hoped that his injuries weren't too severe or life-threatening, even though they had called a code blue for his brother.

After about an hour of waiting, a doctor approached him, and he stood up, still holding Freddy and Plushtrap. "Is he okay?" He asked worriedly.

"He is stable for now, but we'll have to keep him at least another day or two before he can return home with you." The doctor said hesitantly.

Aaron felt some of the tension leave him. That wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no, either. "Does he need surgery?"

"Not as far as we can tell. The code blue was apparently a false alarm. Once we helped him with his breathing and gave him a little extra oxygen, he recovered pretty quickly. He did require stitches for his injuries, though, and now when he goes back home he can show all of his friends the cool scars he has now." The doctor said with a smile.

Aaron smiled back, imagining the look of wonder and awe the other children would have when they saw his little brother proudly show off his scars. "Can I go see him?"

The man thought a moment. "I suppose that would be alright." He said slowly. "Just don't stay too long. Visiting hours are almost over for the day."

"Is he awake?"

Another nod. "Yes, he is conscious, but he may drift in and out of sleep due to the sedatives we gave him to help with the pain. He is in Room 2B, just down the hall there." He said, pointing in the direction of the room.

"Thank you." Aaron headed in that direction, feeling a bit lightheaded from all the stress he had been experiencing in the last few hours.

After a few minutes of walking, he found the correct room and went in. Benny was watching Spongebob on the TV hooked up to the wall in front of the bed, and he turned at the sound of the door opening, while his face lit up when he saw Freddy and Plushtrap. He reached for them, and Aaron placed the sentient plushes on the bed.

Benny picked them up and cradled them lovingly, his movements delayed and sluggish. He looked tired and worn down, his flesh pale. "Hi!" He chirped happily, his mood lifted due to his friends now in his presence once more.

Aaron grinned. "Hey, buddy! How are you feeling?"

Benny yawned. "Tired, but I'm feeling much better now!" He said happily. He gestured to the TV. "I'm watching Spongebob! Its really funny!"

Aaron glanced at the screen, remembering when he used to watch the show when he was Benny's age. He used to like it, too, but hasn't watched it in awhile. "Is it? That's good."

His brother nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it is! Do you wanna watch it with me?"

"Sorry, I can't. Visiting hours are almost over, so I'll need to leave soon."

"Oh," Benny said as the smile melted from his face. "Okay."

Aaron felt a pang of sympathy. "But maybe tomorrow, okay? I'll come earlier so we can talk more. How does that sound?"

Benny's eyes lit up again. "Yeah, I would love that! Can you bring some snacks, too? I didn't get to eat very much food today."

"I have an even better idea." Aaron said with a grin, "How would you like if we went down to the cafeteria right now before I leave so you can get something to fill your belly?"

There was that smile again. "Really? You would do that? Yes, please, that would be awesome! I'm starving, can you hear my tummy growling?"

Aaron stopped to listen, and a few seconds later there was a loud growl. He laughed. "Yeah, I definitely heard that! You really are hungry. Okay, come on, let's go get you some food."

"Hold on a second, I gotta put Freddy and Plushtrap somewhere safe so no one takes them away." The younger sibling hopped out of the bed and looked around for a hiding place for his plush friends.

"Here, just put them under the covers for now. Or you can put them in the end table over there," Aaron said, pointing to a small table that sat next to the bed. "They'll probably be safe in there."

Benny stared at the end table for a minute, shrugging his shoulders, "Sure, I don't think they would mind it as long as I came back for them. Freddy and Plushtrap would not be very happy if someone took them away from me."

He opened the small drawer and put them in there, closing them in darkness for a little while until Benny finished eating. "There. Now they'll be safe." He said in a satisfied tone.

"Ready to go eat now?" Aaron asked, grabbing his jacket and putting it on. It got cold in the hospital sometimes, so he wanted to be prepared.

"Yeah, let's go now, I can't wait any longer!" Benny said happily, marching out the door like a soldier would. It looked kind of cute.

They made it to the cafeteria and walked in, Benny's stomach still growling, and the child giggled at the sound.

"So, what kind of foods are you in the mood for?" Aaron asked his younger brother.

Benny looked around. He spotted the desserts and ran over to them, pressing his face up against the glass. "Look, they have pudding!" he ran over to another section and gasped dramatically. "Oh my gosh, they have cake!"

He went over to his older brother and grabbed him by the wrist to drag him over to the desserts. "Aaron, look, they have CAKE, and its CHOCOLATE!"

"Yeah, I see that, buddy," Aaron said with a laugh. "It looks pretty good."

"It looks like HEAVEN!" Benny squeaked in excitement. "Can we get it? Please please PLEEEEEASE?" he begged with puppy dog eyes.

The elder one shuffled his feet. "Probably not. I bet its really expensive, especially here. Hospital food is usually always overpriced, you know. Let's just focus on what we want to eat right now."

"I already know what I want to eat right now, and I want to eat that cake!" Benny said, pointing to the cake and not budging from his spot in front of the dessert station.

Aaron sighed, running a hand through his hair. Benny was always complicated like this, and when he was in these kinds of moods, it was nearly impossible to talk him out of whatever he had his mind set on at the time.

He settled on a compromise. "I'll tell you what: if you're good during your stay here, when I pick you up to take you back home, if they make another one of these cakes, I will buy it for you. Sound good?"

Benny hugged his brother tightly. "Oh, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"' He squeaked again, shaking with excitement.

Then they spent a few more minutes getting their lunch and gong back up to the room to eat. They talked about school and homework, as Benny got Plushtrap and Freddy out of the table drawer that he had hid them in, sighing in relief when he opened it to see that they were still there.

"See?" Aaron said while chewing on some pizza, "I told you they would still be there when we got back."

Benny set them on top of the bed to keep an eye on them. "You were right. Maybe I shouldn't worry so much. They can take care of themselves, after all. They don't really need me."

"But you do need them. If you didn't, they probably wouldn't even bother staying with us." Aaron said gently. He finished his food and stood up from his chair. "Okay, buddy, I have to go now. I've already overstayed my welcome." Indeed, visiting hours had ended ten minutes ago, and he could tell that the nurses really wanted him to leave for the day.

"Alright," Benny said with a sad sigh. "But you'll be here tomorrow, right?"

Aaron smiled. "Of course I will! Wouldn't want you to be lonely, after all. Tomorrow will be here before you know it!"

"I hope so." Benny said softly.

They bid each other goodbye, and Aaron left the room and headed to the waiting area, where he retrieved the rest of his belongings and then left the hospital for home.

He was surprised to find out that it was now dark outside. Had he really been there that long? He shrugged it off and got into his truck, starting the engine and driving back the way he came.

Meanwhile, Benny turned out the lights and got under the covers of his temporary bed, readying himself for sleep. He was very tired, and wished that he could take a shower before he drifted off into Dreamland.

_"He is really making an effort to be better to you, isn't he?" _Freddy said, now fully alert and active.

"You heard all that?" The child asked as Freddy climbed into the bed with him, while Plushtrap followed suit and cuddled into Benny's chest as he did every night.

_"You forget that we hear everything going on around us, even in our dormant state."_ Freddy reminded him gently, looking around the small room. _"This isn't home, though I suppose it will have to suffice for now."_

"You don't like it?" Benny asked. "I think I can get another room if you want, but it will probably look similar to this one."

Freddy made a dismissive gesture. _"It will do fine. It is not to my liking, but there is nothing that we can do about that now."_

"Oh," was all Benny said, staring at the floor with a glum expression on his face. "Sorry."

_"It is not your fault."_ Freddy said quietly, _"I would go anywhere with you as long as you are safe, no matter how unappealing it is. As long as you are with me and you are out of danger, I will manage."_

"Aaron is coming back tomorrow," Benny said with a yawn. Plushtrap crawled over to lick his mouth, churring lovingly.

_"I am aware."_ Freddy said, gently stroking Benny's cheek with his paw. _"I hope his kindness continues to show itself to you. We much prefer seeing you happy and comfortable, as you are now, instead of how you were before. You were so sad and miserable, and it broke us, Plushtrap and I. But now, you are happy and safe, and that is all we could ever ask for."_

"I hope tomorrow is as good as today was," Benny said as he lay his head against the pillow. "I had fun today, and Aaron says that we will buy me a cake if I'm good."

_"What kind of cake is it?"_ Freddy asked.

"It's chocolate!" Benny replied happily. "Aaron promised he'd buy the ENTIRE cake if I was good!"

_"I bet you would eat half of that cake in a day, wouldn't you?"_ Freddy asked in a playful manner.

"You bet I would! Cake is one of my favorite foods. Well, that and chocolate! Chocolate is the food of the gods!"

Freddy looked at the time. It was almost past 10:30. _"You should rest now. It is past your bedtime, and we want you ready for tomorrow."_

"You sound like my Mom used to. She would say that sometimes, before she went to the Other Place." Benny murmured.

_"Close your eyes, and I will sing to you."_ Freddy whispered. _"It will help you sleep better."_

Benny did, and his mind was filled with harmonious notes, such soothing sounds that spread through his body and left behind a feeling of peace and calm.

"I love you," he said as he felt Plushtrap nuzzle into his collarbone, still cuddled into him.

_"We love you more."_


	3. Chapter 3

There were a lot of things that Benny hated, and right now the thing he hated most was boredom. He lay in his bed, his back propped up against the wall with one of the pillows as the nurse took his temperature and blood pressure.

The TV was turned on, but there had been nothing good on for the last hour or so, and Benny was almost bored to tears. He picked up the remote that was in his lap and switched to a different channel. Again, nothing. He sighed loudly, tossing the remote onto the bed.

"Problem?" The nurse asked in an amused tone as she heard the child sigh.

Benny groaned. "There's nothing to watch on TV, and I'm bored!" He complained while staring up at the ceiling in irritation. He was trying to pass the time until his brother came back to see him, but it was proving to be much more difficult than he had previously thought.

He wondered what Aaron was doing now. He stared at the clock above the window, listening to the slow ticking sounds it made as it counted down the seconds. Time to him seemed to have slowed to a crawl now, and he internally begged it to go faster so that he might soon have some form of company to keep him occupied and entertained until he went back home and left this dreadful place.

The nurse chuckled quietly and stood up, her job now done for the moment. "Well, I'm sure your brother will be here soon, and then hopefully you won't be bored anymore!" She said cheerfully as she removed the Velcro strap from the kid's arm.

Benny glared at her for a moment, wanting to say something to her, but ultimately decided against it. The nurse left the room to tend to her other patients as Benny turned back to the television instead. He continued flipping through the channels, but there weren't very many that had cartons. Maybe one or two channels had shows he liked, and that was about it. Everything else was either sports or news or things like that, and he hated that kind of stuff.

He turned off the TV and lay down in his bed, closing his eyes. He figured that as long as he was waiting he might as well take a nap to pass the time. He breathed in deep, relaxing his body. Within a few minutes, he had fallen into a restless sleep, and dreamed.

_He found himself back in Fredbear's Diner again, held in the grip of the ones who had almost hurt him. He kicked and screamed. "Please! I don't want to, I don't want to!" He yelled, tears falling from his eyes. His cries were ignored, however, as the one called Zero counted down._

_"Three!" The animatronic's mouth snapped open and closed again, seeming to be intent on having the child. Its teeth were sharp and dangerous, and that made Benny all the more frightened._

_"Two!" He was brought closer now, closer to the thing he feared with every bone in his little body. He felt the heat radiating off of the robot before him, and he wanted nothing more than to get away from this thing. He whimpered, absolute fear consuming his shut his eyes, realizing he could not fight what was happening next._

_"One!" Then he was shoved inside of that gaping maw, and he heard the sounds of laughter and hollering as his captors celebrated and congratulated themselves._

_The crushing pressure on his body returned, and he felt and heard the blood drip into its mouth as his head was slowly being crushed into itself. "Please!" He yelled, his voice echoing slightly in the monster's inner workings._

_He screamed as the pressure became too much, and with a crunch, his skull caved in, and he felt a pain unlike anything he had ever felt before._

He awoke to someone shaking him. "Benny wake up, you're okay, you're okay!" A voice said frantically. He shot up in the bed, gasping. He felt along his face and the sides of his head, feeling for blood, and he took deep breaths and slowly pulled his hands back to stare at them. There was no blood. There was nothing except pale skin and sweat.

His body shook as he stared into his brother's eyes. He looked around as he regained his bearings. He was in the hospital. Safe.

"You were having a bad dream." Aaron said as he pulled Benny close to him. "That's all it was. A dream. It's over now."

Benny clung to Aaron's shirt, inhaling the scent of fresh air and the smell of home. It wasn't real, it was all in my head, He thought, desperate to be rid of the mental images of his dream. I'm okay, I'm safe. Nothing can hurt me now.

He pulled away from the embrace and looked up at his brother. "Can we go home now?" he asked quietly. "I'm starting to hate this place. There is nothing to do here except watch TV, and that gets really boring after a while, especially when none of my favorite shows are on."

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, of course. We just gotta get you that cake that you wanted, and then we're out of here."

Benny smiled wide, his heart filled with excitement and happiness. He was finally going home! He could sleep in his own bed again, and play outside and feel the Sun on his face! He missed his neighborhood as well as the people in it, and he was even beginning to miss going to school, as crazy as that was.

"I'll go talk to the front desk, and then I'll meet you down in the cafeteria to get that cake." He left to check his brother out of the hospital, while Benny grabbed Freddy and Plushtrap, walking down to the lobby and getting into the elevator and pressing the button to take him down to the cafeteria. He was giddy with glee now, just imagining the taste of that sweet chocolate as it touched his tongue, and he felt his mouth begin to water in anticipation of it.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity to the child, the elevator dinged on the desired floor, and the thick metal doors slid open to allow him access to the delicacies that lay beyond, just across the hall. He wandered over in a trance, enticed by the smells and sights of the dessert tables that sat in the corner of the huge room.

He placed his little hand on the glass, suddenly seized by a desire to snatch the cake into his grasp and devour as much as he could while he still had time, while he still appeared to be unnoticed by the staff's ever watching eyes.

While he gazed longingly at the chocolate cake he wanted so badly, he felt a hand suddenly rest on his shoulder, and he flinched. He turned around in a flash, and there stood his brother, laughing.

"You jumped like, ten feet into the air." Aaron laughed merrily. "I got you good, man!" He wiped his eyes, still giggling softly.

Benny narrowed his eyes at his elder sibling. "That's not funny, Aaron!" He snapped. "You almost gave me a heart attack! You could have killed me!" He knew he was exaggerating, but he couldn't help it. It had startled him.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Aaron said, finally having calmed down a little. "But it was a little funny, right? Come on, man, at least give me that!"

The younger child shook his head. "It wasn't even a little bit funny!" He said, unamused by Aaron's behavior. "Not even close!"

Aaron stopped laughing and grinned. "Fair enough. Let's get you that cake, then." They went up to the register and asked what the price of the cake was.

They waited while the cashier checked the price on her records. "It's $30, plus tax." She said, smiling at Benny's shocked expression.

Aaron whistled softly. "Dang, you're expensive, you know that?" He said to Benny in a teasing lighthearted tone while he paid for the whole cake with his debit card.

They went over to the counter and one of the employees got out the cake for them and handed it to Benny, whose eyes ignited with pure joy when he saw his prize and got to actually physically hold it.

When they had made their way out of the hospital and were leaving for home, Aaron looked in the rear view mirror and saw Benny watching cartoons on the tablet that he brought for him. Focusing on the road again, Aaron smiled to himself. Everything was going well now, and he hoped it stayed that way.

They arrived home a few minutes later, and Benny excitedly jumped out of the truck as soon as it had stopped moving, holding his cake tightly to his chest. He waited for his brother to unlock the front door to the house, putting the cake in the fridge and racing to his room.

He flopped onto his bed and sighed, inhaling the scent of home. He was so glad to be back, and excited to start living his normal life again. He realized that he had forgotten Freddy and Plushtrap in the truck, and he raced back down to the driveway to get them, but was stopped by his brother, who had them in his arms.

"Forget something?" He asked with a grin. He handed them to Benny, who smiled at him gratefully and went back to his room to talk with his friends.

"I got that cake I wanted! Aaron got it for me!" He said excitedly once the lights had been turned off. The window curtains had been opened slightly, allowing for a small amount of light, though not enough to cause them any pain.

_"Did he?" _Freddy asked. _"I had not believed that he would actually do so. Is it good?"_

"I haven't eaten any of it yet." Benny said sadly, his eyes downcast. "But maybe after dinner he'll let me have some!"

Plushtrap came over to his human friend and lay with him, his head in Benny's lap. The child gently pet his long ears. Though they were not supposed to be alive in any sense, they were, and he felt Plushtrap's body heat begin to warm his legs as the rabbit cuddled into his owner. He warbled in an affectionate tone, making a sound that seemed strangle like a satisfied whimper that someone overcome with love would emit.

Freddy stared at Plushtrap and back to Benny and translating._ "Plushtrap says he loves you, and he is_ _happy that you are here with us now."_

Plushtrap chirred softly, gazing up at Freddy.

_"He would also like to add that his love for you burns brighter than a thousand suns,"_ The bear said, slightly amused, _"and it only grows stronger by the day."_

"He really has a way with words, huh?" Benny said as Plushtrap licked his arm and nuzzled into it.

_"Yes, that he does. Though he cannot speak like you_ _and I can, he usually manages to get to message __across to its recipient regardless."_

"How did he lose his voice?" Benny asked curiously, continuing to gently stroke Plushtrap's long ears

Freddy hesitated for a moment, staring at the ground, deep in his own thoughts, perhaps recalling a memory of some kind, though Benny doubted that it was a pleasant one.

_"Several years ago, before you were created and brought into this world, he and I were in the possession of the same owner, a child that was a few years older than you are now." _Freddyexplained, his voice far away as he recalled thememory_. "His name was Thomas, but everyone who knew him referred to him by his preferred name of Tommy."_

_"One day, Tommy came home in a bad mood, and Plushtrap raced over to greet him, but Tommy did not want affection. He pushed Plushtrap away, and pulled out a knife. Naturally, being a violent creature by design, Plushtrap took this to mean that Tommy wished to harm him, as a sign of hostility, and defended himself._

_"I don't believe that Tommy wanted to hurt him, but Plushtrap was impulsive, and tackled him. I tried to stop him, but he was insistent that he was going to be harmed, and made the first move. They fought for a while, and Tommy begged for him to stop, to listen. But Plushtrap did not listen to him or to me, and continued his assault._

_Amidst Tommy's struggling, the knife pierced Plushtrap's throat fairly deep and ruptured his vocal chords, rendering his voice mute and absent. I tried to repair the damage, but it was too extensive to fix properly. That is why he can only communicate in sounds and not words."_

"Was Plushtrap ever able to speak like us? Like me?" Benny asked, curious.

"_A long time ago, but not like you. He spoke telepathically, like I am speaking to you now. Tommy struck the part of Plushtrap that could perform that act, and now he is partially mute."_

"How do you speak telepathically?"

_"There is more to us than even you know." _Freddy said in answer, further confusing the child. He let it go and asked his next question.

"Will he ever speak agian?"

_"Unfortunately, no. The damage was too severe, and the blade nearly destroyed his vocal chords completely."_

"Oh." Benny said sadly. "What happened to Tommy?" He asked, worried now that the rabbit might have done something to him. "Did Plushtrap hurt him?"

_"He tried to, but I stopped him before any further damage was done. As you can imagine, neither on_e _was very happy about the situation."_

Benny looked down at Plushtrap, slightly nearvous and weary of the rabbit now. "Is he gonna hurt me, too?" he asked, his voice shaking in a frightened tone.

Freddy shook his head, placing a paw on Benny's leg to reassure him. _"Tommy was not very fond of Plushtrap, and they were at odds with each other constantly, mostly over little things, and I suppose that incident had been the final straw. But he loves you very much, and promised me that he would never harm you for any reason."_

"They hated each other?" Benny asked, perplexed as to why anyone could ever hate his cute little rabbit friend. "Why?"

_"Tommy's parents did not provide him with the love and care that he needed, and he took out his frustrations on Plushtrap. I did not hate Tommy, though I did understand his situation and what he was going through. I tried to help him and do what I could to make him feel better, but he did not reciprocate my efforts. He began to go down a road I could not follow, metaphorically speaking, and began doing dangerous acts. Consuming things not_ _meant for the body."_

"Drugs?" Benny whispered, holding Plushtrap tighter against himself. The rabbit nuzzled him lovingly.

Freddy nodded. _"Yes. He rejected our offer of peace and happiness, and left our care to live with his friends, who also participated in similar, dangerous_ _antics."_

"Is he still here?" Benny wanted to know, now captived by the tale. "Is he alive?"

_"I am afraid that he is not,"_ Freddy responded sadly, his eyes directed to the carpeted floor in rememberance of what he had lost. _"He left this world almost a decade ago. He consumed too much_ _at one time. I overheard his family describe his_ _cause of passing at the funeral, and his soul has flown away, to a hopefully better place."_

Benny sniffed, feeling sad for this human he had never even met. Mostly, he just felt sad for Plushtrap and Freddy. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

_"There is nothing to be done about it now._" Freddy sighed mournfully. _"It is in the past, and we are_ _trying to move on from it. Sometimes, though, it i_s _rather difficult to not think about what could could have been if he had accepted our offer, if he had changed his ways."_

"Then you might have never met me," Benny said softly, still cuddling Plushtrap in his arms, holding him like one would cradle a baby. "and I never would have had you and Plushtrap. You guys are the best thing to ever happen to me."

_"Yes," _Freddy agreed, climbing into Benny's lap as soon as Plushtrap had been placed back onto the floor. _"You are our most beloved friend, and we could not ask for a better owner. We will remember you until we are no more, and when you eventually leave this world, you will live on through us, and through our memories of you. So long as you are well, we will be alright."_

Benny smiled, holding him tightly and securely, nuzzling Freddy's face. "You are my best friends, and I hope that we will always be together. I don't know how I would live without either of you."

_"We feel the same with you, Benny."_ Freddy said gently, licking the child's neck gently. _"We will always love you, until the end of time, and even after, and that is a promise."_


	4. Chapter 4

The room was dark. A lone child sat within it, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and shallow. He remained still, his mind wandering away from reality and towards the comfort of his most desired dreams.

He was being shown an entire world within his mind, one that brought him reassurance on days such as this. The child was most at peace in these moments, when he would visit this world that was known to be completely imaginary.

Still, he visited this place often, sometimes staying within it for long periods of time. This place is where he was now, imagining himself to be walking the streets of his Dreamland, happy and content.

Within this world, there was no pain or suffering, nothing to fear or to hate. There was no one wanting to hurt him, and everything about this place almost bled with joy and happiness.

He imagined that he lived only with his friends, his most trusted protectors and guardians. The sun shone on his face, the birds chirping merrily in the trees high above him. The air smelled of freshly blooming flowers, a scent that he enjoyed on warm days, in spring and summer. He heard the sound of a young child's laughter, the breeze in the air gentle and cool.

He sighed happily, strolling down the sidewalk, hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He turned onto the street corner and walked up to an ice cream shop, entering and greeting the owner who worked at the counter.

Just as he was being handed an ice cream cone that was free of charge, he was pulled out of this world as everything darkened.

Benny opened his eyes as Freddy took his teeth out of his throat, holding a towel to the wound. To clean it. The child felt no pain as the bear pulled his teeth out of him, because he had been numbed by his friend with a chemical that was produced naturally within the sentient plushes bodies.

_"That is the world you could have, that we could have."_ Freddy said in a whisper, stroking Benny's face with his paw. _"It is the kind of life you would live if I took you away from here."_

"I want to go there now," Benny pleaded, tears in his eyes. The place he had been shown was a thousand times better than this. "Please!"

_"I could make it real for you._" Freddy said simply, staring into his friend's eyes. _"I could take you there."_

"You can?" The child asked, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. He hated when he cried. It made him feel weak, like he was weak.

But he wasn't. Not anymore. Freddy had made sure of that.

_"Yes,"_ the golden bear responded gently, putting a paw on his knee. His touch was soft, warm. Calming.

"Why don't you?" The young human wanted to know. "Why can't I go there now?"

_"In time, we will be there. All you must do, is wait."_

"Can I go back to it?" Benny asked desperately, clinging to the bear. He wanted to feel that sense of peace and true joy again. "I don't wanna leave! I…I wanna stay there."

Freddy seemed to consider this for a moment, wandering absentmindedly toward the window that showed only blackness beyond itself. Then he turned round, back towards his friend. _"Do you wish to spend the night there?"_ He asked softly as Benny nodded eagerly. _"You know it is not real. It is only a reflection of how I want you to live."_

"I don't care." Benny said immediately. "Anything is better than here."

_"It is funny to me,"_ Freddy said as he let his teeth grow long again. _"That you nearly had to die for things to change so much. Your brother is much kinder to you now, and overall, your life has drastically improved. Why do you still wish to visit this paradise?"_

Benny failed to answer the question, though he figured that it had been a rhetorical one, anyway. He really had no clue as to why he kept wanting to go back to it, but that also didn't mean he wanted to stop returning to it, even if it was only in his mind.

He shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. I guess I just like it. And like you said, it's a paradise."

_"It is YOUR paradise,"_ Freddy corrected him gently, _"and you may return to it as many times as you wish to."_ He set his teeth against Benny's throat. _"Count to ten. As you did previously."_

As Benny started counting, he felt a small pricking sensation in the side of his throat, like he was getting a flu shot, and then he began to feel tired again.

His eyes grew heavy, and he could barely keep them open. He felt Freddy bury his teeth in deeper, though he now was numb and if there was any pain, he could not feel it.

He relaxed as the numbing sensation spread throughout his entire body, and he could not feel his legs or arms. The last thing he felt was Freddy's paw running through his hair in a gesture of reassurance and comfort.

_"It's alright. I am here,"_ Freddy said. _"I will keep you safe while you are there. No one will enter this room."_

Then his eyes closed, and he entered paradise.

Plushtrap watched as Benny slept, grabbing a pillow and easing his unconscious friend to the floor with some difficulty while Freddy detached himself from the child, his teeth shrinking back to their normal length.

He gave a chirr of unease, worried for Benny. He had only seen this happen once before, and THAT time… well, he might have mistakenly thought that he was being harmed by Freddy. He might have freaked out just a bit until Freddy explained that he was not, in fact, being harmed in any way, but rather being shown true happiness in the form of incredibly vivid dreams.

The rabbit had still been skeptical, but he had no reason to believe that Freddy would actually harm their friend, so after the situation had been explained, he had reluctantly allowed it to continue under his watchful eyes, his head in Benny's lap and not moving an inch from that spot until the human had woken up.

This time, he felt a little better about it, now that he knew for certain that he would be alright once Benny came back to the Waking world.

The rabbit wondered what Benny experienced in this state, and how nice it was. Freddy had said that it was a 'paradise,' so he hoped that the child was happy.

Benny was walking the streets again in his heavenly bliss, a smile on his face. A butterfly flew past him, and he tried to catch it and failed as it evaded his attempts and flapped its silky wings high into the sky.

While Benny was in his little paradise, Freddy and Plushtrap were standing guard, watching the door.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang from the front entrance, and Plushtrap immediately ran out of the bedroom and down the steps toward the front door.

_"Plushtrap, wait!" _Freddy yelled after him, but the rabbit was already gone. The bear sighed and went after him, running as fast as he was able. He heard Aaron's bedroom door open and the human came out, looking startled and slightly frightened at the sudden interruption. He saw Freddy, and they locked eyes as a sense of understanding passed through him.

When he was at the top of the stairs and about to climb down, Aaron picked him up and carried him the rest of the way down, hearing a screech and then a scream of surprise followed by a loud bang, like a firework had gone off. Aaron quickened his pace.

Aaron reached the bottom of the stairs and raced into the front walkway, where he found Plushtrap on top of a human that Freddy did not recognize, with a mask over his face. The front door had been kicked in. Aaron put him down at his request, and the bear immediately switched to his most frightening form, eyes red claws long, and advanced, assuming that this intruder was here for Benny.

He focused on the person's face, the mask over their head, concealing their identity. He reached over and pulled it off, revealing it to be one of Aaron's former friends. Eric.

He sensed Aaron tense in shock beside him. "Eric?!" The human yelled, his voice angry and scared. "Why in the ever-loving fuck did you break into my home?!"

Plushtrap growled in Eric's face and held up one of his hands, his claws growing longer. It was a warning to answer the question, and quickly.

"Your little bitch of a brother made us all look like fools at the party!" Eric ranted, ignoring Plushtrap's low snarl at the insult, as well as Aaron's question. "Our plan could have worked, but then he had to start screaming like an absolute asshat and attract attention to us!" His words spat venom, his eyes burning with hatred. "Then you had to pull him out of that robot when it was just getting good!"

"He would have died, Eric! Don't you understand that?!" Aaron screamed at him, his anger and frustration clouding his mind.

Eric waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm sure that he would have been fine, dude! We were gonna pull hm out before anything really bad happened to him."

Freddy moved closer, preparing himself in case this intruder made any moves to go after Benny, who still slept in his room, lost in his world. He focused on Eric's face, watching his expressions to really understand the situation. All he knew right now, though, was that he would fight to the death to protect the person he loved, and he knew that Plushtrap would do the same.

He was so focused on the human's face, however, that Freddy failed to notice the knife Eric had pulled from his pocket amidst the struggle. His eyes spotted it just as Eric was about to strike. The blade was aimed at Plushtrap, who also failed to notice it.

Freddy tried to warn the rabbit, to let him know that he was in danger, but it was too late.

Plushtrap raised a hand to strike, his claws out and ready, but Eric brought the knife upward, into his assailant's stomach. Plushtrap screeched in agony as the weapon was pushed in deeper, twisted into his body. He went limp as he was stabbed once more in his chest, and then the knife was pulled out of him as he was thrown aside and into the adjoining living room, hitting the wall with a loud thumping noise. Black blood slowly leaked out of him, dripping onto the carpet.

"Where is he?!" Eric wanted to know as he got to his feet. "Where is that little freak?"

Aaron quickly threw a punch at Eric, and the two humans began to fight, with both of them evenly matched for the moment.

Freddy ran toward Plushtrap, seeing the injured rabbit slumped against the wall, back in his normal form, the claws and teeth now gone. He lifted his head at the bear's approaching footfalls, and his eyes flickered weakly. He raised his arm, and Freddy grasped his hand in his paw, now extremely worried for both Plushtrap and Benny.

_"Stay with me, Plushtrap."_ He pleaded, desperation in his soft voice. _"Please don't go. Benny needs you, and I need you. Don't leave."_

At the mention of Benny, the rabbit tried to stand, but immediately fell back down again, letting out an agonized, drawn out whimper. He was not getting back up anytime soon. Thinking quickly, Freddy rushed to the stairs, climbing them as quickly as he could. He had to wake up Benny. He had to wake him up so he could see Plushtrap, and if the rabbit was fading, say goodbye.

He ran into the room, where his friend still lay on the floor, asleep. The bear shook him, but it was in vain. Benny stayed asleep and still, rendered unconscious by the substance that he had put into his body. He began to grow desperate, once more piercing Benny's skin with his teeth, injecting him with something that he hoped would wake him up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Plushtrap felt weak. He could not move very well, and if he tried he would only receive a stabbing pain of protest from his body. His vision was growing dimmer, and he suddenly felt the overwhelming need for someone, anyone, to be with him now. To be next to him, holding his paw in their hand, telling him that he had tried his best to protect his most beloved friend. His body was beginning to grow numb, and he felt tired. So tired.

He scratched at the carpet with his claws, trying to make enough noise so that someone would notice him here. He didn't want to admit to himself that he may be fading, but he could feel it deep within him.

He wanted to feel Benny again, to be held in his arms one last time and smell his scent on his clothes. He wanted to hear his voice and his beautiful laugh, and he wanted to cuddle with him, feeling some sense of comfort and escape from this unbearable pain in his stomach.

He shifted his focus from the carpet to the wall, scratching at it, his movements now increasingly desperate and scared. Despite his body screaming at him not to, he ignored the overwhelming desire to rest, and scratched loud and deep. The rabbit tried to scream his signature noise, but all that came out was a weak, barely audible moan of agony. He pressed his hand to the wound that bled the most, applying pressure to it in an effort to buy himself more time with the Living.

After he had been scratching for almost three minutes, he gave up and allowed his arm to fall back to his side. He knew, deep in his mind, that no one was coming for him. No one was paying attention to him or even noticed that he was gravely injured, and once that realization hit him, he gave in and accepted it. He ceased his attempts to call for help and relaxed his body, waiting patently for what he thought was now inevitable.

For the first time in forever, as he watched the thick dark blood pour out of him with no signs of stopping, Plushtrap felt truly, completely, and painfully alone.


	5. Chapter 5

The blood kept coming, never stopping. It flowed between his fingers as he held a hand to his stomach, thick and wet. The smell of it made him feel weak and dizzy, and his energy was nearly non-existent. He placed a hand on the wall, digging his claws into the plaster, and attempted once more to get onto his feet.

After much effort, he succeeded in his task. Using the wall for some much needed support, he slowly made his way towards Eric and Aaron, the two humans still locked in battle. From the looks of it, Eric was winning.

He moaned out softly in agony, the blood continuing to spill out of him. It dripped onto the floor, the pain never ceasing. Faintly, Plushtrap heard the sound of the clock ticking away, and it reminded him that time was running out. He hissed and continued forward, determined to reach them before it was too late.

He stumbled and nearly fell on his face, but managed to dig his claws into the wall at the last second, managing to stay upright. Every step made his wounds protest all the more, and Plushtrap whimpered lowly with pain as he inched ever closer to the one who had inflicted these injuries upon him.

He stayed within the shadows, trying to maintain as much strength as possible for what he planned to do next. He knew that it would probably kill him, but he was already fading, so he might as well go out with a bang, right?

He watched, his body growing ever weary, as the two humans fought. Eric had Aaron pinned against the wall, hands wrapped around his throat. He still held the knife that the rabbit had been stabbed with, the blade still dripping with black fluids. With his blood.

His teeth bared in a silent snarl, Plushtrap moved silently and slowly, his eyes focused on the intruder that was currently winning in the fight.

Eric threw Aaron to the ground and raised the knife. "This is where your story ends, my friend," he said, his voice dripping with malice.

Wasting little time, Plushtrap lunged towards him, risking exposure to the light. The rabbit screeched as the blinding light hit his body, yet he continued forward, towards the greater threat, his anger keeping him focused and ready.

Hearing the scream, Eric turned to face him just as Plushtrap grabbed his leg and bit down HARD.

His mouth filled with the taste of blood as his unwilling victim screamed in agony and lost his balance, the weight of him enough to send Eric crashing to the ground. Aaron stood there in shock, rooted to the spot and unable to do anything as Plushtrap allowed his rage to take control, and he crawled up the human's chest and bit into Eric's jugular vein.

He growled weakly, not quite able to get a hold on it as quickly as he would have liked to, as Eric would not stop thrashing and attempting to throw the rabbit off of his body. Amidst his struggling, Plushtrap smelled his fear, and it was greatly satisfying to him.

When he had eventually managed to take a firm hold of the desired spot, he worked quickly and wasted no time, forcefully yanking his head back and taking a chunk of Eric's throat with it. Blood spewed everywhere, coating the rabbit, and even getting on one of Aaron's pant legs.

Once Eric had stopped moving altogether, Plushtrap released him and stood up, immediately stumbling backwards as a wave of dizziness hit him full force. He fell back as dark spots dotted his vision, and hit the floor, his breathing now slow and labored.

Aaron stared at the body in shock, his eyes wide. "Did you just-?" He asked, his words dying out as he saw the blood still leaking from his rescuer's wounds.

He ran over and let out a shaky breath as he watched the rabbit slowly curl up into a ball, trembling with pain and fear.

They locked eyes for the briefest of moments, and Aaron could swear that its eyes flickered. It gave a whimper, high-pitched and scared. It raised an arm to point towards Benny's room, and Aaron knew what it wanted.

The rabbit trilled softly, his mind exploding with pain. He ran his claws down his face, praying just to be released from this torture. He heard a sound. Laughter. His ears perked up. He knew that sound, that voice.

He looked up, excitement filling his chest for a brief moment. Benny sat in front of him, smiling. He reached out, touching the human's hand and taking it in his paw.

Benny pulled away. "I can hear you crying," He said softly. "You're making me sad and I don't like feeling sad. It hurts too much."

Plushtrap whimpered, extending an arm to stroke Benny's face. He misses him so much, and being with him gave the bunny immense comfort.

As his hand made contact with the skin, Plushtrap paused. Was Benny always transparent? His muddled mind could not remember. Was he just dreaming? Was any of this even real? He hoped not. He tried to will himself to wake up, but everything remained as it was, hopeless and dead.

And he felt dead already. He shook, and his breath was in gasps, like he had just finished running a marathon. He could feel his End approaching.

Benny giggled. "You know what's funny?" He asked, amused. "You're dying, and I'm not here to see it! I'm lying in my room, dead to the world, and you're not with me."

He leaned in, and whispered in his long ear, "And something tells me that I won't wake up."

Plushtrap was confused. What did he mean? He was here. He could see him, and he was sitting in his… wait a minute.

The rabbit touched Benny's cheek, and his hand went through him and out the other side of his face. He was right. This was not real.

As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, he was alone again, lying on the floor. The blood had stopped, but now his vision was hazy, blurry and unfocused. He rubbed at his eyes, but it did nothing to lessen his discomfort.

Now his eyes were irritated, just another thing he had to deal with on top of everything else that was happening. He sighed, his thoughts returning to Benny. The child had gone through so much already. Nearly losing his life just a few days ago, still dealing with the aftermath and unseen trauma that had yet to fully surface.

Plushtrap doubted that Benny was truly well. He didn't think anyone would be, especially after an experience like his. If he was being honest with himself, Plushtrap was surprised that Benny wasn't catatonic, or at least acting out like any young child would do after something like that.

But the rabbit had seen none of that from his dear friend. In fact, Benny had been keeping it together quite well, which impressed Plushtrap. The kid was stronger than he realized.

Plushtrap himself did not break easy, but he just knew that if his child were to die, he would not handle it very well. Even now, he was not allowing himself to leave this world too soon, and he was determined to get to Benny before he was no more.

**A/N: I know that this chapter is not as long as usual, but to be perfectly clear and honest, I find that writing this story (as well as writing in general) has become a struggle for me lately, and I don't know why. Maybe its Writer's Block, though I don't usually believe in that sort of thing. The next chapter might be a while away, if at all.**


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